Effects of decaffeinated coffee on my blood pressure

In these experiments, I used an upper arm cuff home blood pressure monitor to measure my blood pressure on an empty stomach, after drinking a large cup of decaffeine coffee.

I used a filter coffee machine to prepare a large cup of coffee, made with decaffeinated ground coffee. The process was exactly the same as my experiment to see if caffeine coffee affected bloood pressure, except for the type of coffee, which in that case was obviously a standard caffeine coffee. In the current experiment, the coffee was decaf.

Here are my results:

Time

Upper (systolic)

Lower (diastolic)

10:10

124

83

10:12

118

82

10:15

125

85

10:19

126

81

10:22

126

80

10:25

125

81

I DRANK THE COFFEE AT THIS POINT

10:27

122

79

10:29

126

79

10:31

116

78

10:33

119

76

10:36

112

75

10:38

119

78

10:41

117

78

10:45

117

78

10:50

118

78

10:58

123

79

11:05

126

82

11:12

122

84

11:17

122

90

11:23

125

79

Here is the data as a graph showing the effect of de-caffeine coffee on blood pressure:

Before drinking the coffee, my blood pressure was fairly stable at around 125/82. However, at 10:31, around 5 minutes after drinking the decaf coffee, my blood pressure fell to 116/78, and fell even further at 10:36 to 112/75.

For 10:31 to 10:50, my blood pressure was below the starting blood pressure of around 125/82. From 10:58 until the end of my experiment, blood pressure had returned to near the starting level.

It appears from these results that drinking the decaffeinated coffee reduced my blood pressure for a period of around 25 minutes before blood pressure returned to normal.

Now, whether this is due to the decaf coffee itself, or some other factor involved remains to be seen. For example, it may well be that the decaf coffee itself has no effect on blood pressure, and something like the heat in the drink was responsible.

As a follow up experiment, I need to drink an equivalent volume of hot water.

Andy writes for a number of health related sites but has always been fascinated by alternative medicine and home remedies. His deep interests in nature and the body's innate ability to heal itself (given the right condition) have lead him to a pivotal time in his life - and so, Holistic Home Fitness was born. While it's relatively new at the moment, Andy wants to build this site into a huge reference site for a more holistic approach to health and fitness.

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